Latest news with #AlanWinde
IOL News
3 days ago
- Health
- IOL News
NHI regulations face opposition from Western Cape Government amid digital service expansion
Premier Alan Winde highlights the role of innovation and data-driven solutions in strengthening service delivery for vulnerable communities in the Western Cape. Image: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers. The Western Cape Cabinet has reaffirmed its opposition to the draft regulations of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act, warning that the proposed governance arrangements threaten to destabilize the provincial health system. 'The provisions of the act, in its current form, undermine the aim of universal healthcare, particularly in the Western Cape,' said Premier Alan Winde. The Cabinet maintains that the regulations are premature, invalid, and would have a 'significant and detrimental impact on all provinces and service delivery.' The province's objections mirror long-standing concerns raised during public participation, which the national Department of Health has allegedly failed to address. In contrast to its resistance on the NHI front, the provincial government is moving forward with key innovations in social services. Cabinet approved the expansion of the Social Work Integrated Management System (SWIMS) application across government departments. Launched in April 2024 and already used by over 1,000 social workers, the SWIMS app digitises social service case files and significantly reduces paperwork. Premier Winde described the system as transformative. 'Across our departments, we must explore ways to improve services. Our embrace of innovation, technology, and reliance on data and evidence strengthens our ability to boost service delivery, in the case of expanding SWIMS, to the most vulnerable in our province.' Western Cape Minister for Social Development, Jaco Londt, echoed the sentiment, emphasising the app's reach in rural areas. 'If SWIMS is utilised by other social service professionals in government and the NGO space, not only will staff benefit, but it will strengthen our case monitoring systems, we want to mitigate the risk of cases slipping through the cracks.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading In a further move to modernise public service delivery, Cabinet noted the implementation of a new Provincial Roads Delivery Model at the district level. The new model, developed by the Department of Infrastructure, is based on a comprehensive five-year review and aims to speed up and improve infrastructure projects across the province. Cabinet also approved the Growth for Jobs (G4J) 2025–2030 Implementation Plan, the next step in a strategic roadmap to stimulate economic growth. 'The G4J strategy is constantly evolving, requiring us to regularly revisit its key priority areas,' Premier Winde said. He acknowledged the volatility of global markets but expressed confidence in the province's ability to adapt and grow. Celebrating the success of the 2025 Premier's Cycle Tour, Winde thanked partners and provincial teams who helped deliver more than 300 bicycles to schools and neighbourhood watch groups in rural areas. 'The tour is a tangible demonstration of the 'power of the pedals' and the importance of partnerships,' he said, highlighting how bicycles can foster connectivity, promote road safety, and unlock economic opportunity. Finally, Premier Winde called for nominations for the 2025 Service Excellence Awards (SEA), which honour Western Cape Government staff who go above and beyond in their roles. 'Our staff are at the heart of our government's commitment to work as hard as we can every day for the residents of this province,' said Winde. The ceremony is scheduled for September 2025, and nominations close on June 30,2025. IOL News Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Eyewitness News
25-05-2025
- Eyewitness News
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says province is reaping the rewards of targeted crime-fighting strategies
CAPE TOWN - Western Cape premier Alan Winde said that the province is reaping the rewards of targeted crime-fighting strategies, pointing to a steady decline in murder rates as evidence. Responding to the newly released national crime statistics, Winde highlighted ongoing progress in historically high-crime areas such as Nyanga, Delft, Philippi East, and Khayelitsha. ALSO READ: The Western Cape has now recorded its fourth consecutive quarterly decrease in murder cases. Winde attributes much of this success to the law enforcement advancement plan, or LEAP, which has bolstered the police presence in hotspot communities. "Both Minister Marais and I are encouraged by the consecutive decrease in the western cape's murder rate. We saw a further 4% decrease in overall murder rates of the western cape for the fourth quarter; this follows the 7.9% decrease in quarter three and the 8.7% decrease in quarter two."
IOL News
22-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Western Cape Premier welcomes 2025 budget compromises amid financial concerns
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde discuss the impact of the national Budget on the Western Cape. The Western Cape Government has cautiously welcomed the 2025 national budget, highlighting relief over the avoidance of a VAT hike but expressing concern over ongoing fiscal pressures that threaten essential services. Premier Alan Winde described the budget process as 'difficult and contentious' but acknowledged that key compromises had been made to shield struggling South Africans from further financial strain. 'We are relieved that key compromises have been made and that already over-burdened citizens will be spared from the punishing VAT hike proposed in the previous two budget frameworks,' said Winde. 'Our province and country need a budget that fast-tracks economic reforms, cuts wasteful expenditure, and reprioritises spending towards economic growth and job creation.'
IOL News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
The Truth About Cape Town's Well-Run Image: A Cape Flats Perspective
well-run city isn't one where the lights are on in the CBD but the streets are dark in gang territories. It's not one where some kids have access to well-funded schools and libraries while others grow up in fear of stray bullets. Image: Ian Landsberg I grew up in Cape Town, but not in the mountain-facing suburbs or trendy neighbourhoods tourists see. I grew up on the Cape Flats—where the sound of gunfire is as familiar as the ice cream truck, where kids play in the street until they don't, because someone got shot again. So when I hear politicians like Premier Alan Winde, MEC Anroux Marais, or Alderman JP Smith talk about Cape Town as a "well-run city" in a "well-run province," I want to ask: for whom? It's not that I don't want to believe them. I do. I'd love to live in a well-run place. But what they describe doesn't reflect my everyday reality or that of my neighbours. Last week alone, 15 people were murdered and more than 10 critically injured in places like Mitchells Plain, Nyanga, Hanover Park, and Kalkfontein. That isn't a rare week. That's what life has become. And that should never be normal. We live in communities soaked in trauma. Every gunshot reminds us how little our lives matter to those in power. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ We don't have the luxury of debating safety from the comfort of leafy suburbs behind security gates. We can't "opt out" of the crisis. For us, it's personal. It's walking your younger sibling to school and wondering if you'll make it back. It's choosing which roads to take based on gang boundaries. It's checking your WhatsApp community group, not for neighbourhood watch updates, but for the names of those who died last night. What's worse is that we are constantly told things are getting better. The City of Cape Town pours billions into safety, over a billion rand on LEAP officers, and millions more on ShotSpotter, drones, CCTV, and body cams. Yet none of that seems to reach us. None of that technology has made me feel safer walking to the shop or waiting for a taxi. We are told that crime-fighting is the responsibility of the national government, and sure, SAPS is under national control. But that's not the whole story. The City is not powerless. JP Smith controls 21 safety units, including Metro Police and specialised crime intelligence. The City has its own enforcement agencies, resources, and officers. So why, with all that, can't they keep us safe? The answer, I think, lies in priorities. The City has perfected the art of PR, press briefings, safety digicons, branded uniforms, social media posts showing new gadgets and flashing lights. But that's not safety. That's optics. And optics don't save lives. Let's be honest: if this level of violence were happening in Constantia, Sea Point, and Rondebosch, there would be an uproar. There would be emergency council sessions, task forces deployed overnight, and helicopters circling nonstop. But it's another tragic statistic because it's happening in the Cape Flats. Another week. Another headline. And yet, the people here are not passive victims. We fight every day to survive, to build, and to protect one another. Parents walk their kids to school in groups, neighbours check on each other, and local NGOs run after-school programs and trauma counselling with barely any support. We do what we can. But we can't do it alone. We need a government that doesn't just manage the city from a distance but lives up to its responsibility to all its people. I'm tired of hearing that Cape Town is a model city because it balances its books and runs clean audits. You can't measure human safety on a spreadsheet. A well-run city isn't one where the lights are on in the CBD but the streets are dark in gang territories. It's not one where some kids have access to well-funded schools and libraries while others grow up fearing stray bullets. The violence we face isn't just about gangs. It's about inequality, disinvestment, and a broken social fabric. And until those root causes are addressed—not just with PR but with real policy—we'll keep burying our youth. As a young person from the Cape Flats, I don't want miracles. I just want to live without fear. I want to study, to work, to build a future here. That's not too much to ask. But right now, our so-called "well-run city" is failing us. And if this is the best the City can offer, then clearly it's time for a new definition of leadership—one that sees, hears, and protects us. Until then, Cape Town has not been truly well-run. It's just selectively run. *Mayalo is an independent writer and commentator ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media
Eyewitness News
14-05-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Winde welcomes labour survey showing WC has lowest unemployment rate
CAPE TOWN - Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has welcomed the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, which shows the province has the lowest unemployment rate in South Africa. The survey indicates an unemployment rate of 19.6% in quarter one of 2025 for the Western Cape. The data shows the province's official unemployment rate is below 20% for the third consecutive quarter. Winde said the Western Cape created 120,000 new jobs year on year. "That is four times greater than the next province on the list, and that was Gauteng, which created 30,000 jobs... And South Africa as a whole gained only 43,000 jobs. So really impressive results coming from the economy here in the Western Cape." Winde said it was important for the province's economy to flourish. "Because that is how we bring real change for our citizens and give them hope that there is a future, whether you are still at school, you can see a future for yourself. Whether you're an entrepreneur, there's a place that you can take risks and start a business that's going to find success." Winde also thanked and congratulated the businesses which created jobs in the province. ALSO READ: Unemployment increased to 32.9% in Q1 - Stats SA
